Jake Paul is boxing again on April 17 and he is aiming for win No. 3 in the ring. But his next opponent is a proven professional fighter and far from the quality of the first two bouts that saw him victorious. Still, the YouTube star is confident of beating MMA star Ben Askren.
Paul managed to overwhelm Nate Robinson, a retired NBA player, and a fellow YouTuber in his last outings and the victories were not surprising at all. The online superstar squared off with wannabe warriors and his success failed to impress boxing fans and observers alike.
However, the choice of Askren for Paul's next fight date is sure to catch curious attention. It will be a clash of a newbie fighter wanting to pad up his ring credentials and a former MMA fighter who knew how to win and lose. It's quite an upgrade for the YouTube personality, according to Bad Left Hook, but he is not thinking of losing at all.
Paul said Askren came from the cage where the norm is brawling so it will be an easy boxing match.
"These MMA guys, just 'cause they throw punches, doesn't mean they can box. This is why I'm so confident in my ability to destroy these guys ... They have no head movement, they're slow, they aren't going to the gym every day and boxing," the vlogger was reported as saying.
But as mentioned, Askren is not exactly clueless about fighting. He is not a pro in boxing but he fought against foes who knew how MMA works as opposed to the amateur fighters that Paul had demolished. It seemed easy to underestimate the UFC veteran but Paul needs to keep in mind that Askren was once a champion and he achieved that by winning over tough fighters.
Askren himself seemed convinced that defeating the YouTube celebrity in a boxing match is a walk in the park. The MMA star said Paul is an online star looking to prove he can fight by challenging people with no fighting experience.
Paul managed to box and scored wins but those victories did not make him a boxer at all, Askren said, adding he is meeting the online superstar on the ring for fun and the money.
"I did this for free a whole bunch of times in high school and now they want to pay me a whole bunch of money. I thought this was just fun. I did this for a fun time. I think combat is fun," said the MMA veteran, and per the report by Yahoo Sports.
Triller is the outfit behind the Paul vs. Askren, the same promoter that made the recent Mike Tyson's bout against Roy Jones Jr. That was a money-spinner and so is the April 17 showdown, and as Askren made clear, it would be foolish of him to turn down a big paycheck for a days' work.
